Walking Joyfully with God

A letter from Myoung Ho Yang serving in Hong Kong

November 2015

Time flies really fast. We already have been in Hong Kong for a year and a half. Some people here say that most foreigners who come to live in Hong Kong get quite ill after living here for a year. Thankfully we have stayed healthy.

As we look back at our time so far in Hong Kong, we cannot say that we have done any great works or have achieved any marvelous things. We can affirm, however, that we have walked with God joyfully ever since we said “Yes” to God’s gracious calling and began this ministry that God opened to us. We never thought that we would serve in Hong Kong and China. But we are here by the amazing grace and will of God!

It is a blessing that we can serve as mission co-workers at this particular time of our lives, and at this time in God’s history and in this place in God’s world. This is our real joy. Every day we give thanks and pray for God’s will to be fulfilled through our life and ministry. This song we sometimes sing expresses our hearts well:

Myoung Ho is conducting the student choir at Thursday worship service.

“In the field that God gave, I sow in a sweat,
As I give all of my life to my Lord who loves me.
Even rains and winds are in my way, and my body becomes weak,
To the Lord whom I love, I will give all of my life.
At the end of the age, I will see my Lord,
Bearing fruits that I will return to the Lord,
Bearing songs that I will sing to the Lord.
All the places of the earth, prepare the way of the Lord!
Everything in the world, praise the Lord!
The Lord of glory will come very soon.” (My translation of a Korean song)

There are so many people in Hong Kong. The streets and public spaces are packed with lots of people all the time, not just during rush hour. We often have to let ourselves be swept along by a big crowd. Walking in this great multitude, we often pray that we can be God’s channel through which God’s love and grace flows into them. This longing also fuels within us a passion for studying Chinese. It is a real challenge to learn Chinese. We memorize words and forget easily. But we believe that each day we become better than the day before.

Learning Chinese brings us joy. We hope to speak Chinese fluently sometime soon. Then I will have ample opportunities to build a deeper relationship with students.  Then we will be able to offer courses in Chinese as well as English so that more students can take them.

Ji Yeon and I have been having a meeting with one Chinese student every week. It began with an idea that we could teach one another English and Chinese. As time has gone by, this has become a time of sharing of our lives, and of prayer and Bible study. We also learn from her about Chinese culture and churches in China.

This semester I am teaching a new course, “Celebrating the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.” I also continue to conduct a student choir that sings at Thursday chapel worship services. The choir is still small and we have little time to practice, but the students enjoy it. We hope the choir grows and brings richness into our Thursday chapel gatherings and our life.

Please pray for me that I can be always filled by the power of the Holy Spirit and teach students faithfully and effectively with wisdom and knowledge from above. Pray that our students will become spiritual leaders of Hong Kong and China. I also need your prayer as I need to design new courses for the new curriculum that is being implemented since we arrived. We also need prayer as we study Chinese. Please pray that we can continue this ministry. Christianity in China is rapidly growing, but there is a serious shortage of trained leaders. In your prayers, please also remember my two sons, Samuel and John, who are preparing their future as they graduate from college.

We are very grateful for your support and partnership with us in this ministry. It is your loving support that allows us to continue this ministry. We ask you to continue to walk with us with your prayers and generous financial support.

Grace in Christ,
Myoung Ho and Ji Yeon

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 241